105 Must See Films: The Artist (2011)

Starring: Jean DuJardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman,

Director: Michel Hazanavicius

When the star of silent movies meets cute with a delightful chorus girl, love is in the air. But with the advent of “talkies”, that is, movies with sound, her career takes off and his stumbles, sending them in different directions in life. Will they ever get together?

The film is a modern story of Hollywood, full of humour and romance, and delightfully a darling doggy companion. It’s unusual in that it’s not only black and white, but also a silent film itself, using music and some foley to tell the story, with title cards as needed. It’a a modern silent film.

It’s A Must See Because: on it’s release it swept up the awards season. It’s an unusual and daring film, choosing to not use colour or sound. Whilst it’s a charming story, and the two leads are delightful, the film also has the depth of being about an era of Hollywood, using all the tropes to show what films were like at the time, capturing a slice of history and an era of change. It’s very unusual and highly entertaining.

Plus that dog is so cute.

See It If: you like a bit of romance, old Hollywood, or if you are interested in a slice of movie history: the advent of sound in movies. A classic.